Dickens Park Nature Area
Longmont, Colorado
67-acre park • 48 acres native seeding • 150,000 wetland plants installed
Confluent Design led a multidisciplinary team to update the St. Vrain Greenway Master Plan and guide the design and implementation of Dickens Farm Nature Area, located two blocks from downtown Longmont. The project reconciled recreational development, habitat restoration, and floodplain management within a cohesive vision for the site and the surrounding creek corridor.
At the center of the park is a new water park. Building on the City’s earlier vision for a whitewater park along the St. Vrain Greenway, the design evolved through the public process into a family-friendly, low-velocity channel supporting canoeing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, and tubing while also providing extensive aquatic and riparian habitat. The in-channel recreation features were developed in collaboration with Recreation Engineering and Planning, specialists in whitewater park design. Supporting amenities include picnic areas, a nature play island, a bike skills course, a parking area with integrated rain gardens, and a custom restroom building with an outdoor changing area for boaters and tubers.
Ecological restoration and habitat protection were integral to the design of the former gravel quarry site. Irrigated turf was limited to a one-acre flexible gathering space for community events, while the majority of the site was restored with native plant communities. Approximately 48 acres were seeded with native species across wetland and grassland habitats, and more than 150,000 wetland plugs were installed to support long-term ecological recovery along St. Vrain Creek. The site also supports state-listed threatened fish species, requiring the design to incorporate new habitat areas and safe fish passage through the park’s in-channel drop structures.
The multi-phase project received the Sustainability Award and Parks & Trails Award from the Colorado chapter of the American Public Works Association.
67-acre park • 48 acres native seeding • 150,000 wetland plants installed
Confluent Design led a multidisciplinary team to update the St. Vrain Greenway Master Plan and guide the design and implementation of Dickens Farm Nature Area, located two blocks from downtown Longmont. The project reconciled recreational development, habitat restoration, and floodplain management within a cohesive vision for the site and the surrounding creek corridor.
At the center of the park is a new water park. Building on the City’s earlier vision for a whitewater park along the St. Vrain Greenway, the design evolved through the public process into a family-friendly, low-velocity channel supporting canoeing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, and tubing while also providing extensive aquatic and riparian habitat. The in-channel recreation features were developed in collaboration with Recreation Engineering and Planning, specialists in whitewater park design. Supporting amenities include picnic areas, a nature play island, a bike skills course, a parking area with integrated rain gardens, and a custom restroom building with an outdoor changing area for boaters and tubers.
Ecological restoration and habitat protection were integral to the design of the former gravel quarry site. Irrigated turf was limited to a one-acre flexible gathering space for community events, while the majority of the site was restored with native plant communities. Approximately 48 acres were seeded with native species across wetland and grassland habitats, and more than 150,000 wetland plugs were installed to support long-term ecological recovery along St. Vrain Creek. The site also supports state-listed threatened fish species, requiring the design to incorporate new habitat areas and safe fish passage through the park’s in-channel drop structures.
The multi-phase project received the Sustainability Award and Parks & Trails Award from the Colorado chapter of the American Public Works Association.
Key Project Partners
Recreation Engineering and Planning – Whitewater Park Design
Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. - Site Civil Engineering
Biohabitats - Environmental Services
CH2M (Now Jacobs) - Resilient St. Vrain Project Lead | Flood Mitigation Engineering
Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. - Site Civil Engineering
Biohabitats - Environmental Services
CH2M (Now Jacobs) - Resilient St. Vrain Project Lead | Flood Mitigation Engineering